Ogre Gut
You feel the insatiable hunger of an ogre, while afflicted you must consume double the normal
amount of food and drink or suffer the effects of hunger (p185 players handbook).
-Ogre gut is contracted by eating spoiled food or eating 11+ goodberries in a day, the
constitution saving throw DC is as follows: spoiled meat- 14, goodberries- 8+1 per extra berry
over 11 consumed
Ogre gut may be cured by lesser restoration, a paladins lay on hands or a DC 15 medicine check,
eating spoiled food or 11+ goodberries after being cured causes the disease to return if it has
been less than a week since being cured.
8 New diseases and curses with causes and
cures
Mechanics
This post includes 8 new diseases and curses you can add to your game, I've noticed base DnD
5e is a bit lacking in actual diseases and curses outside a few examples and the contagion/
bestow curse spells so here's 8 more to add to your game and how they can be contracted and
cured. These diseases and curses are designed to be fairly forgiving based on the likelihood they
are contracted but can of course be easily tweaked to be more forgiving, brutal or contagious if
your campaign calls for it.
Liferot
Half disease, half curse 100% lethal. The means of contracting liferot are mostly down to
speculation but usually the victim has been attacked by a powerful undead or exposed to the
plane of chaos (by enemies such as slaad). A creature afflicted with liferot slowly but steadily
dies, after a long rest a creature with liferot permanently loses 2hp.
Being knocked to 0hp by an Undead of a CR of 5 or higher has a constitution saving throw of
DC 14 to avoid contracting the disease, being knocked to 0hp by a slaad has a constitution saving
throw of DC 16 to avoid contracting the disease.
Liferot cannot be cured through traditional or magical means, however it is said that destroying
the creature who gave someone liferot will cure the disease and restore their lost life
Extra Note- This is a disease contracted from a powerful undead or Slaad. It may make a good
plot point or be motivation to slay a creature a number of days before an NPC or player dies.
Nature's Wrath
The infection of a highly invasive fungi which slowly turns the infected into a tree, every day
without a lesser restoration spell, lay on hands or successful medicine check causes the infection
to advance. A successful medicine check of DC 14 or lesser restoration spell causes the disease
to regress one stage (ending if treated at stage 1). As a note stages effects stack on top of each
other unless otherwise stated.
Stages
1- small vines and roots sprout from your feet and legs, while walking on mud, dirt and sand they
grab the earth reducing your movement by 5ft
2- bark covers your limbs causing your joints to stiffen, the 5ft movement penalty now always
applies and you are vulnerable to fire damage but resistant to piercing damage
3- branches and leaves cover your body restricting your articulation, you must choose between
an action and bonus action every turn
4- you are more wood than man, you cannot sink in water, are weak to slashing weapons and
have 10ft less movement instead of 5ft, the next step is the last
5- you are a tree, you cannot move, speak, or think, only exceptionally powerful magic can cure
you now such as a greater restoration or wish.
**-**This disease is often contracted from blights, treants animated trees and druids, it may be
given to a creature after failing a DC 14 constitution saving throw when knocked to 0hp by one
of the aforementioned creatures. Alternatively it may be contracted by a fey curse perhaps a
scheming hag coven or vengeful dryad trying to get some leverage on the party.
Lead-foot Disease
Your feet feel like cold lead, while infected you cannot take the dash action until cured. Oddly
this isn’t so much a disease as the long term effects of cold exposure.
**-**A disease caused by exposure to extreme cold, it may be contracted a number of ways but
is commonly contracted via camping unprepared in the cold, being knocked to 0hp by cold
damage and eating the flesh of a yeti. The constitution saving throw DC for these situations is:
Camping in the cold- 9+1 per day without warm rest, Cold damage- 15, Eating a Yeti’s flesh 18
Curing lead-foot disease requires a long rest in a comfortable warm environment (such as a
tavern) after drinking tea heated with alchemist's fire
Stonepalm Curse
You lose all articulation in one hand as it is encased in stone, this makes it incapable of holding
items, casting spells or any other dexterous actions, until cured it functions as a 1d6 mace.
Stonepalm may be contracted by eating the flesh of a cockatrice, medusa, gorgon or basilisk, it
may be cured with the spell remove curse or by preparing a potion with the blood of one of the
aforementioned creatures mixed with a silver coin, this potion requires alchemists tools and a DC
12 tool check.
Ogre Gut
You feel the insatiable hunger of an ogre, while afflicted you must consume double the normal
amount of food and drink or suffer the effects of hunger (p185 players handbook).
-Ogre gut is contracted by eating spoiled food or eating 11+ goodberries in a day, the
constitution saving throw DC is as follows: spoiled meat- 14, goodberries- 8+1 per extra berry
over 11 consumed
Ogre gut may be cured by lesser restoration, a paladins lay on hands or a DC 15 medicine check,
eating spoiled food or 11+ goodberries after being cured causes the disease to return if it has
been less than a week since being cured.
Fiends Blight
Your skin glistens with the red sheen of a fiend, while afflicted you are resistant to fire damage
but vulnerable to radiant, silver weapons and are incapable of breaking an agreement or deal
(taking 3d12 psychic damage on doing so)
Fiends blight is a curse and is contracted by breaking a deal with a devil, demon, fiend or djinn,
as such can be cured with a remove curse spell but if the creature is more powerful than the
caster (has a CR number 2x larger than the casters level) then they are incapable of curing the
curse. Alternatively the curse may be cured by dousing the afflicted with a bottle of holy water
every day for a week (taking the 2d6 radiant damage of holy water) or by killing the creature
who bestowed the curse.
Milky Eyes
Your eyes glaze over with a milky sheen, you make ranged attacks greater than 30ft with
disadvantage and cannot see fine detail beyond 30ft.
A disease affecting those attacked by oozes, when a creature is knocked to 0hp by an ooze they
must make a DC 15 constitution saving throw or be afflicted by the disease, milky eyes can be
cured by a successful medicine check for 2 days in a row with a DC of 14 or alternatively casting
lesser restoration or lay on hands for 2 days in a row will also have this effect.
Mana Sickness
Whenever you unintentionally lose concentration on a spell you take 1d10 force damage as the
spell backslashes, you are also vulnerable to force damage. Mana sickness may be caused by a
variety of means but notable causes include: being knocked to 0hp by a 5th level spell or greater,
Being exposed to the magic of the inner planes for 1 day or eating the flesh of a magic creature
(notable examples being beholders, kirin, unicorns and dragons).
The constitution saving throw DC for the aforementioned causes are:
5th level Spell- 10+1 per spell slot level higher than 5
Exposed to the inner planes- 8+1 per day spent there
Eating a magic creatures flesh- DC equal to their CR number.
Due to its nature mana sickness cannot be cured by magical means and instead requires the
afflicted to avoid taking magic damage for an entire day (which includes the damage from losing
concentration).
